DADACA

What DADACA does

DADACA, Inc. (株式会社DADACA) is a privately held Japanese chocolate and confectionery manufacturer founded on November 11, 2020, by Representative Director Shinya Tajima. The company operates from its registered headquarters in Yubari City, Hokkaido, with a Tokyo office in Jiyugaoka, and runs two in-house production facilities in Hokkaido (Yubari and Chitose) that manufacture nearly all of its confectionery output. Its portfolio centers on the CACAOCAT premium chocolate brand (30 flavors, pay-by-weight sales, cat-themed packaging) and extends to dacquoise (ダク), Hokkaido Baumkuchen (KONKON), strawberry-chocolate confection (Hello! Ichigo Market), Yubari melon jelly (GO! GO! YUBARI!!), the Halal-certified Singapore-imported luxury brand Chocolate Origin, and adjacent concepts including Tecona bagel and Drip Cat coffee.

The business operates a four-pronged go-to-market. Wholesale distribution supplies 350+ SMB retail partners across Japan (electronics shops, convenience stores, bookstores, department stores, candy shops, bakeries) with free proprietary display fixtures and promotional materials, enabling partner activation in approximately three weeks. Direct-to-consumer retail is delivered through flagship Tokyo stores in Jiyugaoka and Shirokanedai (both opened in 2024), pop-up formats, and brand-specific e-commerce sites (dadaca.online, dacq.jp, chocolate-origin.jp). A franchise program licenses the CACAOCAT premium chocolate café concept and the ちひろ菓子店 financier specialty shop (Osaka-origin, with 2024 Kanto expansion). International operations include CACAOCAT's Singapore entry in December 2021 and the reciprocal introduction of Chocolate Origin into Japan in February 2022.

Revenue is generated through unit-priced wholesale orders, direct retail and e-commerce sales, franchise fees, and licensing/CSR-linked product sales (CACAOCAT partially donates to cat protection activities). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by wholesale region, with direct consultations required for both wholesale terms and franchise economics. Pricing is positioned at a premium tier relative to mass-market chocolate, justified by in-house Hokkaido manufacturing, ingredient origin (Hokkaido wheat, cream, melon), artist-collaboration gift packaging, and brand storytelling around the "DADA" disruption narrative.

Name

DADACA

Legal name

株式会社DADACA

Website

https://dadaca.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DADACA is a Hokkaido-based Japanese chocolate and confectionery manufacturer founded in 2020, operating the CACAOCAT premium chocolate brand and a multi-brand portfolio, distributed via 350+ wholesale SMB partners, direct flagship retail in Tokyo, franchise programs, and Singapore market entry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Chocolate & Confectionery Manufacturing

NAICS

Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821), Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate (311352)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Bakery Products (2050), Cookies & Crackers (2052)

akta.pro primary industry

Chocolate & Chocolate Confectionery (CRADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cookies, Biscuits & Crackers (CRADABAD), Wholesale / Commercial Bakeries (B2B Supply) (THAFAFAF)

Keywords

• Premium chocolate manufacturing
• Confectionery wholesale distribution
• Chocolate franchise operations
• Hokkaido artisan sweets
• Specialty dessert retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Yubari

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Chocolate & Confectionery Retail Sales: Revenue from direct retail store operations and brand-specific e-commerce sites (dadaca.online, dacq.jp). Products sold include CACAOCAT premium chocolates, dacquoise, financier pastries, baumkuchen, and seasonal sweets.
2. Wholesale / B2B Distribution: Wholesale of confectionery products to retail stores across Japan. Partners purchase products at wholesale prices and resell to end consumers. Minimum order turnaround is approximately 10 business days. Products distributed include CACAOCAT, cookies, Baumkuchen, jelly, gelato, and more across multiple brands.
3. Franchise Fees & Licensing: Revenue from franchising CACAOCAT premium chocolate cafes and ちひろ菓子店 financier specialty shops. Franchise partners pay to use established brand concepts, receive factory-backed manufacturing support, and benefit from the brand's reputation and marketing.
4. CSR-Linked Product Donation Revenue: CACAOCAT sales partially donated to animal shelter cat protection activities. While the primary purpose is CSR, it also serves as a marketing differentiator and brand-building mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DADACA manufactures and sells premium chocolate and confectionery products across multiple brands (CACAOCAT, Dacq, Chocolate Origin, Hello! Ichigo Market, KONKON, GO! GO! YUBARI!!) from its Hokkaido-based factories. The company distributes products through B2B wholesale to 350+ retail stores across Japan, operates its own direct retail cafés and flagship stores in Tokyo, and runs franchise programs for CACAOCAT chocolate cafés and ちひろ菓子店 financier specialty shops.

Product overview

DADACA is a chocolate and confectionery company operating multiple brands across Japan. The core portfolio centers on premium chocolate brand CACAOCAT (30 flavors, Made in Hokkaido) and the imported Singapore luxury brand Chocolate Origin (Halal certified). These are complemented by dacquoise brand ダク, strawberry-chocolate brand Hello! Ichigo Market, Hokkaido Baumkuchen KONKON, and regional activation brand GO! GO! YUBARI!!. The company also operates physical retail including CACAOCAT Bake stores, financier specialty ちひろ菓子店 franchise, and Tecona bagel shops. All products are manufactured in company-owned factories in Hokkaido (Yubari and Chitose).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CACAOCAT（カカオキャット）: 究極のなめらかさにこだわった、Made in Hokkaido のプレミアムチョコレートブランド
• ダク
• Chocolate Origin
• Hello! Ichigo Market
• KONKON（コンコン）
• GO! GO! YUBARI!!
• ちひろ菓子店
• こねこのこねこねクッキー
• キャットレート
• ドリップキャット

Products and services

• CACAOCAT (カカオキャット) Made-in-Hokkaido premium chocolate brand offering 30 flavors characterized by ultimate smoothness and melt-in-mouth texture, available as individual pieces via pay-by-weight sales and original artist collaboration gift boxes with engraved cat-claw marks.
• ダク (Dacq) Chocolate dacquoise sandwich cookies featuring 4mm-thick chocolate layered between crispy, moist dacquoise dough.
• Chocolate Origin Singapore-originated luxury chocolate sweets brand offering chocolate cakes, fondants, truffles, chocolate tarts, and gelato; Halal-certified to serve Muslim consumers.
• Hello! Ichigo Market Strawberry x chocolate brand featuring freeze-dried strawberries soaked in white chocolate, anchored by characters Coco and Socks.
• KONKON (コンコン) Made-in-Hokkaido Baumkuchen using local wheat and cream, slow-baked in layers for a melt-in-mouth layered texture; additional Hokkaido-sourced confectionery line-up.
• GO! GO! YUBARI!! Regional activation brand centered on 100% Yubari melon jelly and assorted sweets to promote Yubari City, Hokkaido.
• CACAOCAT Bake (カカオキャットベイク) Baked chocolate product line under the CACAOCAT brand.
• こねこのこねこねクッキー Cat-shaped cookies brand featuring playful 'cat kneading' thematic design.
• キャットレート (Cat Rate) Single-origin chocolate bars made with carefully selected cacao beans and cat-design motifs.
• ちひろ菓子店 (Chihiro Confectionery) Franchise Osaka-originated financier specialty store franchise offering freshly baked financiers with carefully selected ingredients; Google ranking #1 in the Osaka sweets category, with 2024 Kanto region expansion including Shirokanedai and Jiyugaoka stores.
• DREAMING CACAOCAT Product variant release under the CACAOCAT premium chocolate brand.
• BON BON CACAOCAT Product variant release under the CACAOCAT premium chocolate brand.
• Tecona bagel Bagel specialty store opened as part of DADACA's Jiyugaoka retail location alongside ちひろ菓子店.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350+ wholesale partner stores across Japan as of September 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Chocolate Origin (チョコレートオリジン)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2022Chocolate Origin is a Singapore-founded premium chocolate dessert brand (established 2009) operating 10+ stores in Singapore. DADACA secured the Japan market rights for Chocolate Origin, with the brand launching in Japan in February 2022. The brand is known for high-end chocolate desserts including chocolate cake, fondant chocolate, truffles, and chocolate tarts. It also holds Halal certification, enabling access to Muslim consumers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lindt: Swiss premium chocolate brand with strong Japanese retail footprint and Lindt cafés. Comparable to DADACA's CACAOCAT on ultra-smooth premium chocolate and café/franchise-style expansion strategy.
• Godiva: Global premium chocolate brand with extensive retail and café presence in Japan. Comparable to DADACA on premium positioning and gifting retail, but operates at far larger scale and competes directly in department store and boutique retail channels.
• Meiji: One of Japan's largest confectionery manufacturers with a broad chocolate and gifting portfolio (e.g., Galbo, Meltykiss, Fran). Competes with DADACA across mass and premium tiers with vastly greater production scale and distribution.
• Glico: Major Japanese confectionery company behind brands like Pocky, Bisco, and Ghana chocolate. Overlaps with DADACA in premium chocolate (Ghana) and cookies (Bisco), with nationwide retail penetration and significantly larger marketing budgets.
• Lotte: Japanese/Korean confectionery major with a deep chocolate portfolio (Ghana, Ghana Milk, etc.) and strong gifting-channel presence. Competes with DADACA for premium Japanese chocolate gifting occasions.

Direct peers

• LeTAO: Hokkaido-origin premium confectionery brand best known for Double Fromage cheesecake and assorted sweets. Comparable to DADACA in leveraging Hokkaido provenance for premium positioning, multi-product brand portfolio, and direct retail + wholesale distribution in Japan.
• Yoku Moku: Premium Japanese confectionery brand famous for its Cigare cookie roll and gift assortments. Comparable to DADACA's ダク (dacquoise) and ちひろ菓子店 (financier) lines in cookie-format premium gifting, with similar multi-channel retail and wholesale distribution.
• Royce': Hokkaido-based premium chocolate maker famous for nama (raw) chocolate and a wide confectionery range. Most direct competitor to DADACA's CACAOCAT given shared Hokkaido origin, premium gifting positioning, and broad domestic + international distribution.
• Shiroi Koibito: Iconic Hokkaido white-chocolate langue de chat cookie brand owned by Ishiya. Comparable to DADACA on premium Hokkaido confectionery positioning, retail-tourism-driven sales, and gifting-oriented SKU portfolio.
• Chocolate Origin: Singapore-founded premium chocolate dessert café brand with 10+ stores; the same brand is distributed in Japan by DADACA under market rights. Direct overlap in premium chocolate desserts (cake, fondant, truffles, tarts) and café franchise format.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dadaca-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DADACA